AMERICA v AUSTRALIA: My Emergency Room Stories | Australian Healthcare | American Living in Sydney



Visiting an emergency room in Australia for the first time can be scary, especially when you’re used to the expensive American …

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28 Comments

  1. That is ridiculous, it cost you $65!!!
    As an Australian I am pissed it should NOT be so expensive, it should be cheaper.
    We need to ensure our system does not end up like the US version, we should continue to demand better outcomes for less cost, it is achievable if we push for it.
    Don't want to end up like the poor Americans who are screwed by their corrupt corporate psychopath politicians who do nothing to improve the lives, in meaningful ways, of their people.

  2. In OECD countries with socialised healthcare everyone pays a small levy, both the sick and the healthy. This results in much lower medical cost for everyone, so more people seek help before symptoms becomes serious.

    It is much cheaper to take anti-inflammatory drugs to reduce the swelling appendicitis and schedule an appendectomy even on the same day than going to emergency after a ruptured appendix than potentially into intensive care.

    In America a much smaller portion of the population pays to support the healthcare system.

    Consider medical bankruptcy rates in the USA, what most Americans dont realise is that the bill is paid for by the next patient who have insurance and could afford to pay. Basically the hospital have to factor in the high percentage of patients who cannot pay the bill and have to increase overall price of eveything to cover cost and salaries.

  3. Thanks for your story Kaitlyn. Yes we are lucky here in Australian, I had a motorcycle accident nearly a year ago, I fractured my fifth finger and tore the radial collateral ligament off the bone on my first finger, which required surgery, from my visit to the emergency department, the casting and surgery to the rehab following the surgery, I’ve not had to pay anything. When I was told I required surgery I was booked in within I think 3 days. Yes, very grateful for for our healthcare system!!

  4. I'm in NZ but it's much the same as Australia. I have a gene that makes me predisposed to numerous aggressive cancers. I have to go under GA annually for screening. I get priority care (when I presented with symptoms I was fast-tracked through for every scan available) & it costs me nothing. My husband is American & I refuse to move there for fear of going broke paying for something that is 'free' at home.

  5. I recently had an accident on my bicycle and had nasty skin tears on my arms. I went to my local private hospital, paid the $250 fee and received excellent care with no wait including x-ray of my arm and 2 follow up visits for dressings all included in the price. I could have gone to a public hospital, but would have probably had to wait much longer.

  6. Australia's blend of medicare and private health insurance is a remarkable success. Having private insurance gives you the ability for things like having elective surgeries quickly, but the same heart surgeon operating on my grandfather (paid via medicare) is doing the surgery on those with private insurance.

  7. The US would be debt free if it mimicked the Aussie health system. You Americans should combine and threaten to vote to contract out the management of all your social services to the Australian govt (with then taking a 10% cut of the cost savings, they could fund their entire public sector expenditure).

  8. Hi again, I'm a retired optometrist. A short initial consult less than 15 mins with an optometrist is $37.00. which this would have been . Little diff really, I would have squeezed you in.

  9. Ummm, if you went to an optometrist for your eye problem it would have cost you nothing for the same out come and not tied up a doctor for what was really not an emergency.

  10. My sister in-law is from Canada. She dislocated her shoulder and hadn't got around to sorting out her insurance/ medicare yet so was freaking out because she knew she wasn't covered. When she told the nurses they whispered to each other then told her it was all good. They treated her and sent her home, never billed her.

  11. Issue in USA plenty of public money but spent on military etc.

    Healthcare waste in USA is massive which means per dollar outcomes are poorer

    Glad you had good ED visit

    Key thing you got right was having a corneal abrasion abs going to ED in morning

    (I work at Westmead ED so I actually know – it’s def a public hospital btw)

  12. Proud Australian here. I'm actually going in for nose surgery tomorrow. Being a citizen, for me the entire process, from initial tests, specialists, multiple MRIs and scans to the actual surgery has cost me 0$. I will even be spending the night in the hospital after the surgery for free. If I was in the USA, I don't even want to know the debt it would put me in.

  13. I had 6 months chemo completely covered by Medicare, there are times private insurance bid good if wanting immediate surgery like knee surgery but if it’s an emergency you’re covered by medicare. All o had to pay was $5.50 fortnight for anti nausea medication. Also had 3 emergency surgeries. We are lucky.

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